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Andrew Minyard didn’t laugh very often. He usually didn’t have a reason good enough to grace or scare everyone with his joyous and whimsical laughter, but oh, how Neil always found a way to guide him outside of his normalcy.
“You’re laughing? Oh god, you’re actually laughing” Neil said in disbelief, staring at Andrew with those irritatingly blue eyes.
“Calm down, Abram” he replied, still with amusement clear in his voice. He was probably deflecting a major issue by finding it hilarious, but, how could he not? clearly, it was decided that his life was just a bunch of badly written jokes.
It was obvious Neil didn't find the situation quite as funny as Andrew did at the moment, with his hands gripping his hair so tight he might rip it off and his lips trembling slightly. It wasn't the first time he saw Neil so distraught, but it was the first time he was the reason for that look.
Andrew didn’t know how that should make him feel. He would dwell on it later, for now, he had other things to take care of.
“Do not call me that” Neil started with a strained voice “Not when you just-” He didn't finish the thought. Instead, he sent his free hand to his mouth, touching his lips as if
he could still feel Andrew there.
Not when you just kissed me.
He wouldn’t dare say he was an absolutely perfect kisser, but he was pretty sure that the kiss they just shared was at least a decent one (it was nothing short of revolutionary and groundbreaking, but he couldn't fathom articulating that thought). No, the reaction Neil was giving him wasn't because of the kiss, it was probably related to the small but prominent mark on his ring finger as if Neil had a tattoo of the exact colour of Andrew’s hazel eyes in the form of a spiral around his finger.
He didn’t dare look down at his own finger. He had felt it, was sure of the exact shade of light blue that waited for him in his own hand. But until he saw it, he could pretend it wasn’t fighting with his act of normalcy.
It was Neil, still wide-eyed and trembling, who searched for it. He looked at Andrew’s hand as if he would find the answers he desperately needed at the moment. Andrew had told him better, but Neil didn’t seem to understand.
“I’m not your answer”.
They had met almost a year ago. They probably shouldn't have, it was weird for Nathaniel to go with Riko and Kevin recruiting new ravens, but Kevin had insisted he would see Andrew’s potential more so than Riko, so the three of them visited (where Andrew lived).
Andrew’s answer was a firm no on the first sight he got of the trio, delighted to see Kevin Day in agony for such a stupid thing, Exy. Yes, it had helped him in juvie, and he knew he was good at it, really good, but the absurd fanaticism and devotion the Ravens had for the sport bored him.
But oh, there was a redhead. A stupid, blue-eyed, really handsome redhead.
Nathaniel was the only thing that caught some of Andrew's attention, his feet seemed ready to flee but his face was pure determination and stubbornness. He agreed with Kevin, they had found the perfect goalkeeper for their little game, but where Kevin was pretentious and …, Nathaniel was curious and uncertain. He looked at Andrew like he was the answer to some sort of question.
There were promises, his dear brother could benefit from his scholarship without having to play, the pills could disappear, and his life could have meaning. If his final decision, his surprising but definitive yes, was a little bit in favor of icy blue, no one had to know.
Being a goalkeeper was, for the most part, easy. Being surrounded by exy obsessed psychos, not so much. The sport did not become any less dull for him, but there were things that made him put in the necessary effort. For one, Riko was an annoying prick, and his capacity for destroying every single thing in his life was a great factor in this. So, when he did not perform to his absolute best, or at least pretended he was, the consequences had the form of unwanted toxins in his body, people roaming in his bedroom and the heavy hand of a boy who claimed to be king. However, the worst part included an expulsion letter with his twin’s name engraved in black.
Auburn hair and cold, piercing eyes were also something to look out for. For some reason that Andrew couldn't even begin to imagine, Nathaniel was enraptured by Andrew’s game. Every time he blocked the goal from Riko, Nathaniel seemed like a kid on Christmas morning, which only worked against him, being the center of Riko's rage. But Andrew liked it, the attention from a boy who didn't pretend to be under a monster's thumb, always going against him but somehow still fine, somehow still number three.
He would later discover the harsh truth. And it would be at nights, in secret corners and little windows, with the company of forbidden cigarettes and newly made deals, that Andrew would discover where the lies were.
Nathaniel was full of scars, every single one cruel and nasty on his skin, covered by clothes and armor, some from his father; the new ones from the king himself. Nathaniel was then just Neil, and Neil would discover a map of thin cuts and past homes, of identical faces but different lives. They would talk about dead mothers, crashing cars and the butcher’s knife, night by night unraveling the story of two boys who were denied all things good by the hands of a world too cruel to handle them.
They never talked about fate.
The world had proven to them that the only things worth having were the ones they had taken by fighting for them, nothing was written for them. Everyone felt the need to go and search for their other half, they knew there was no salvation in sharing the burden. They couldn't even tolerate a stranger's touch, much less ask for kisses in the search for their goddamned soulmate.
But fate was a funny thing. Sometimes it knows when to fuck up what you have been building inside, to protect you, to guard what's left. Even if it seems like it's only trying to give you the answers.
So, after many nights of staring, of flirting disguised as bantering and casual touches that burned them both, Andrew made a mistake.
He asked.
“Yes or no?” One hand on Neil’s chin, eyes trained on him, searching for any discomfort. When he only received what could be described as a hungry yes, he had moved forward and sealed their future.
And now, He had to remind Neil the truth about their relationship, otherwise the spiral he would go down wasn't one he could easily escape.
“I’m not your answer” voice carefully calm and devoid of emotions “and you’re not mine either”.
Neil looked at him like there was not a single wall preventing him from seeing what Andrew truly felt. He probably saw something not even Andrew was aware of, because his panic turned into a defeated sigh, dripping his hands at his sides and looking at the ceiling and then at Andrew. Hope was not a word that could explain what Andrew saw in that blue stare, but it was a close thing.
“What now?” Neil said, loud enough for Andrew to hear but still sounding so small. “If he finds out it’s over. For both of us.”
What he really meant was that this would be over, Neil and Andrew, but he probably didn't want to hear the most likely outcome for that sentence. There's no this. But Neil was right, if Riko found out they were, and it was hard for Andrew to even think about it, soulmates, someone would pay in blood.
But would he destroy his precious, oh so perfect court? probably, probably not. He was a time bomb, and not even Tetsuji could predict how and when he would finally explode. His backliner and his goalkeeper, already marked by him like they were his property, with a new mark, entirely theirs and proclaiming they were born for each other, more than they will ever be for him? yeah, that would freak him out.
Andrew didn't have an answer for Neil. He was, at last, at a loss for words. He stuffed out his still-burning cigarette and gifted Neil a look, one he hoped would tell him more than he could ever put into words. The redhead gave him back a smile Andrew only ever saw directed at him, but he had never found it so sad, until now.
Days passed, they didn't meet in secret, only talked when necessary and avoided even that. Still, Andrew could feel eyes on him when he thought nobody would notice, he could almost picture the desperation he would find if he ever searched for those eyes.
It was, ultimately, not enough. One day, There were two figures absent. Where were his backliners? he directed a pointed look at Kevin, who couldn't look more miserable if he tried. The practice passed in a blurry of shouting and missed goals, but he couldn't concentrate on anything while his mind raced, worry and anxiety flooding his senses while time didn't seem to move, He needed to know, he needed to see him, he needed and needed and-
Practice was over. Kevin wasn't fast enough, Andrew took him by his collar and dragged him to a secluded corner, away from prying eyes.
“What the fuck, Minyard” Kevin said, readjusting his uniform, but obviously still wary of what the goalie could do to him.
“What happened” voice dark and the most revealing Kevin had heard from him. If the shiver that passed the striker was any clue, he knew exactly what Andrew was asking.
“I don’t-” he couldn't finish the lie, with the knife Andrew had secured against his stomach offering a good reason to tell Andrew the truth, right now. He usually didn't risk revealing his knives, but desperate times and that sort of thing.
“Okay, okay” Kevin gulped, loudly, tried to move without success and finally looked at Andrew. “Look, I know about it, that color and on Neil’s finger? I don’t know what you both were thinking wh- Aw! No, no, listen. Riko saw it yesterday, but I don’t think he realized it’s you. So he only went after Neil, but I don’t know what he did, and- and Jean won’t answer me either, so-” he almost fell to the floor when Andrew released him, sending a hand to his stomach while watching Andrew’s back retreating to the dorms, specifically to where he could find number 3 and 4.
He didn't bother knocking on the door, choosing to kick the lock instead, with enough force it broke and let him enter without losing another precious second. After he entered, two emotions flooded his senses, the first was relief at seeing the men in the room, but it died as fast as it had come when he saw the state of his- the state of Neil.
Neil wasn’t tall at all, just a couple of inches more than Andrew, but he always felt like a big presence wherever he arrived, you couldn’t just ignore him if he was near, but at that moment Andrew swore Neil looked like a small, wounded animal. Like a poor rabbit trapped by a much more dangerous animal.
The bed was a mess of bandages and blood, some new and bright red, but the majority of it was dry and old. At the end of the bed was Jean, looking defeated and weak, a weird look for someone who almost doubled Andrew´s size. He looked up only to immediately lower his gaze to Neil, and then again at Andrew. He didn’t utter a word, probably knowing nothing could even begin to give Andrew what he needed to hear. Not even Andrew knew what that could possibly be.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Andrew hurried to the bed, kneeling in front of Neils's face, or at least what remained of it. What was once a perfectly crafted beauty was now filled with burns and badly cut slashes. Something burned inside of Andrew at the sight, at seeing his perfectly annoying soulmate so defiled. He wanted to drop to the floor and scream, he wanted to punch something. He wanted to take all that pain and somehow take it for himself. He couldn't do any of those things, so, he decided on what he absolutely could do. He was taking Neil far, far away from that place.
“Neil” he tried, not knowing if he was even conscious, “Neil, it’s me”. Was he being too hopeful, expecting Neil to wake up just because Andrew was there? maybe, but who could blame him? He wasn’t in his right mind anyway.
“Drew?” If Andrew weren’t so close to him, he wouldn’t have heard it. Neil opened his eyes, hissing a bit when he tried to smile at Andrew, like the idiot he was. “Hi”.
Andrew stared at him for just a second, enough to make sure Neil was still with him, and then he was on his feet, looking around the room until he found what he needed. Just some clothes, a pair of shoes and Neil's always-dead cellphone. When Jean sees him putting it all in Neils's bag he finally exits his stupor to almost yell at Andrew.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks Andrew, as if it wasn’t obvious.
“I’m taking Neil out of here, and I think he would appreciate some clean clothes for when we are far, far away.” he just finished packing and now comes the hard part, getting Neil the fuck out of there.
“You can’t do that, Minyard, are you crazy?” Jean was saying, hardening his voice but not so loud someone would come their way. Andrew simply stared at him until an idea crossed his mind.
“If you help me with Neil, you can come too, Moreau.”
That left Jean stunned, mouth agape and eyebrows up. When he recovered, Andrew was already leaving the room, sure the Frenchman would lend his freakingly big hand. Next stop, the coward. He was miraculously alone, but then again, Riko had destroyed one of the most valuable players on the team, he was probably meeting his uncle’s fury at the moment. That meant they needed to act now.
Kevin looked like a kicked puppy as soon as he saw Andrew, guarding his body like his biggest aggressor wasn't his best friend, not Andrew, but whatever.
“Neil won't survive if he stays, Riko will make sure of it” he wasn’t surprised at how cold his voice sounded. He felt like a different person, or maybe this was what he had inside all along. “We are leaving this shithole. Tonight”.
The brief nod Kevin gave him was the only pleasant surprise he had received that day. He was ready to fight, to coarse him with anything necessary, even if it would mean more spilt blood, but Kevin seemed to have decided to help even before Andrew appeared at his doorstep. He didn’t have time to wonder about Kevin’s sudden change of heart, he just watched while he took a crumpled piece of paper from a book, a number, a name and a direction written in a hurry.
Andrew raised one eyebrow at Kevin, who didn’t meet his gaze. “I-I think this man could help.” Andrew looked at the paper with more attention. David Wymack. The name didn’t ring any bells, but it was better than nothing, and he had never seen Kevin be so sure of something before. He tried to take the paper but Kevin closed his hand around it. Andrew didn’t have time for his games, he went for it, with more determination this time, but then Kevin said something so shocking it made Andrew pause.
“I want to go with you”.
And then, they were in Neil’s room again, with their things in a duffel bag and some car keys Kevin had apparently robbed that same day. Honestly, if Andrew wasn't so caught up in Neil Neil Neil, he would have found it fucking impossible. At the moment, it only seemed convenient.
“Mon dieu, not you too, Kevin” Jean, hopeless to anything Kevin ever said to him, was looking at the striker with something Andrew couldn’t quite understand, but it seemed useful at the very least.
“Jean, let’s go together.” Kevin said, carefully taking Jean’s hands in his. They started talking in whispers, something between a fight and a deal. Andrew didn’t really care, setting to help Neil, still not fully conscious and gravely affected by his wounds, trying to make him stand. When it doesn’t work, he decides to carry him on his back. It’s easy, considering how slim he is compared to Andrew.
He turns to see a triumphant Kevin and a very scared Jean, both ready to trail behind him. It’s late and they all have a strict curfew, so it takes them a while to get to the door without getting caught. It’s when Andrew unlocks the door that a screaming voice comes, possibly from Kevin’s room. It’s not near enough for them to discern what he said, but it’s irrelevant as they quicken the pace to the car Kevin stole the keys from. After verifying the car opens, Andrew sets Neil in the back seat, his head securely in Jean’s lap, and goes to the driver’s seat, with Kevin already seated at his side.
Now, he might not have his driver’s license, but he was pretty sure he could drive them almost entirely in one piece. He initiated the engine and made his way through the parking lot, only pausing at the big fuckin door neither of them had even thought to consider. He looked at Kevin, who had been so sure of this little escapade.
“Look just- just drive and I will talk with the guard. Trust me.”
Kevin was asking for too much trust in a single day, but Andrew did as he said, stopping just in front of the gate, where the guard approached with more confusion than anything on his face.
“Mr. Day? what are you…Where’s Riko?” The guard changed from confused to alert, clearly sensing something was not right. Well, he wasn’t an incompetent, not their lucky day. He had to go for his second plan.
He stepped on the gas, surprising everyone in the car and leaving the guard behind. He hit the gate with force, but enough to get it open, so he pulled the car and tried again. They had only a couple minutes if not less before more people came to stop them from leaving the nest, and Kevin’s protests were not helping at the moment.
“Why would you do that? I had everything under control! Oh, god, You are gonna get us killed” If he didn’t shut up, he would end up dead for a totally different reason.
Luckily for Kevin, the fourth time the car hit the gate it sounded like he broke something, so for the fifth attempt he backed even more and put all the force the car could manage in the blow.
They made it out with at least one headlight broken and the front all bumped, but they made it out. Jean left a sigh of relief while Kevin looked moments away from having a panic attack. Andrew didn’t dare take his eyes off the road until the sun was rising again, after having been driving to some kind of freedom for a couple hours. It was then he decided to look at the rearview mirror, finding Neil already looking back at him, his eyes not the usual icy and piercing color, but rather a warm sky full of fondness.
He didn’t know how he was going to manage looking at those eyes, for all years to come, already filled with something that both excited and scared him. But they had time now, they would fight for it. He looked away, only to find that blue again in the ring on his finger for the first time. It couldn’t have been anyone but Neil.